Paddington, Matilda and green carpet
"Those people have been so clever covering the path with this green carpet" says Matilda. "It is so soft and warm, I don't feel cold coming from soil anymore"
"Green carpet?! That is moss Matilda!
Mosses are the oldest land plants on Earth!"
"Good for them that they decided to plant it here."
"Oh no Matilda, people did not plant it. If you look up on trees or roofs or fence or stones- moss is everywhere!"
" I have to think about it" said Matilda and looked around..
Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
On the roofs above our heads, on garden walls, and in cracks in the pavement; mosses are growing all around us.
Mosses are non-flowering plants which produce spores and have stems and leaves, but don't have true roots.
They date back 450 million years, and have survived and thrived through a range of drastic climate changes.
Comprised of 15,000 – 25,000 species, they occur on every continent and in every ecosystem habitable by plants that use sunlight for energy.
Mosses function like sponges, using their capillary spaces to hang on to water.
They help to soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. This enables other plants around them thrive, such as in habitats like marshes and woodland.
Mosses also play a vital role in the development of new ecosystems. They're among the first plant colonisers of disturbed sites, such as when an area is deforested or affected by forest fires. They stabilise the soil surface and retain water, helping new plants to grow.
Moss (sphagnum) was a commonly used sealant, fill, and insulation material in the past.
Paddington, Matilda and green carpet
"Those people have been so clever covering the path with this green carpet" says Matilda. "It is so soft and warm, I don't feel cold coming from soil anymore"
"Green carpet?! That is moss Matilda!
Mosses are the oldest land plants on Earth!"
"Good for them that they decided to plant it here."
"Oh no Matilda, people did not plant it. If you look up on trees or roofs or fence or stones- moss is everywhere!"
" I have to think about it" said Matilda and looked around..
Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
On the roofs above our heads, on garden walls, and in cracks in the pavement; mosses are growing all around us.
Mosses are non-flowering plants which produce spores and have stems and leaves, but don't have true roots.
They date back 450 million years, and have survived and thrived through a range of drastic climate changes.
Comprised of 15,000 – 25,000 species, they occur on every continent and in every ecosystem habitable by plants that use sunlight for energy.
Mosses function like sponges, using their capillary spaces to hang on to water.
They help to soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. This enables other plants around them thrive, such as in habitats like marshes and woodland.
Mosses also play a vital role in the development of new ecosystems. They're among the first plant colonisers of disturbed sites, such as when an area is deforested or affected by forest fires. They stabilise the soil surface and retain water, helping new plants to grow.
Moss (sphagnum) was a commonly used sealant, fill, and insulation material in the past.